Overview
- The Knesset confirmed on Sunday that national elections will be held on October 27, 2026, and that the current parliament will complete its full four-year term.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared he will run and is pitching a campaign for a “broad national government” focused on security.
- Within days the governing bloc is racing to pass contentious bills before parliament adjourns and Likud is preparing a vote on a plan that would scrap direct primaries and reserve eight list seats for Netanyahu’s picks.
- Opinion polls show falling support for Netanyahu and strong gains for former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, making the vote a close contest over who can claim competency on national security.
- The election will be the first held on schedule since 1988 and could leave no clear majority, meaning post-election coalition bargaining over issues like Haredi conscription, judicial reform, and accountability for the October 7 failures will be decisive.